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AMC closes the Cinema in Kennett, MO

KENNETT, MO — Another former Kerasotes property that was acquired by AMC has closed. The single screen Cinema formerly the Palace, was closed as of November 28. The theater has been a landmark in Kennett since sometime in the 1920’s.

Justin Scott, director of Public Relations, for AMC Theaters based out of Kansas City, Mo., says, “AMC continually upgrades the quality of our theater circuit by adding new screens and by disposing of older screens through closures and sales. We do, however, look at our theaters on an individual basis, Unfortunately, the AMC Kennett One has be identified as a theater that no longer competes effectively in the marketplace and will close at the end of business on Nov. 28.”

It will be hard to imagine a Kennett without a movie theater, as the Palace, as it once was called, has been a familiar landmark located on First Street in Kennett since the early days of the 1900’s.

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Comments (9)

It appears that this current spate of theater closings by AMC tends to follow a pattern. For the most part, the theaters are older single screen theaters or small multiplexes, most of which AMC acquired when it bought out most of Kerasotes. There is not anything about the closings on the AMC website in terms of press releases; instead, it seems that theater staff are quietly notified and the only real media attention the closings get occurs when local outlets realize the the theater is closing, which seems to happen just shortly before they do. Then, when AMC is asked to comment, the response is what is quoted in the article or a variation of it. One wonders how many more of these closings are upcoming.

With the Will Rogers Theater at Charleston, Illinois , closed by AMC, I wonder how long it will be before the Paris Theater at Paris, Illinois also is closed by AMC. AMC has been busy closing theaters they had bought from Kerasotes. Seems like every theater they have closed was making money when Kerasotes was the operator. Looks like AMC will closed a theater unless it makes a ton of money for the company.

Yes, I just sent in a posting about the Will Rogers. It also fits the pattern. Clearly, these older theaters in smaller towns do not fit AMC’s business model. Only time will tell how many are picked up by other operators, especially if AMC puts no-cinema-use provisions into sales agreements.

Amc will have all former Kerasotes houses of 3 screens or less (unless super profitable) closed by the end of 2011. Then, if in a region where the next closest theater is another amc property regardless of distance, they will start to shudder all complexes with less than 8 screens.

The AMC 4 screen Cinema at Harrisburg, Illinois was just recently closed. I think the closing was about the same time the Will Rogers Theater @ Charleston, Illinois and The Cinema @ Kennett. Missouri closed. I be curious what the total theaters that AMC will had closed when the dust finally settles. As well as how many Theaters are still being operated by AMC. As well how many of the closed theaters will reopen by another operator ? Or their fate will be to never be a movie theater again. I know the Castle Theater @ New Castle, Indiana was reopen by an independent operator. I hope the Will Rogers Theater will have an opportunity to show movies again.

I have a feeling the closures had more to do with managing a theatre off the grid, that is not within AMC’s central computer system so that showtimes and concession prices are loaded directly from Kansas City, of coarse when they screw up and make a typo it becomes difficult to fix when that happens (it happened to us once when we purchased tickets online for Idiocracy only to discover the theater had no print of it, the theater had to “sell it out” and manually override the system for the correct film).

As for these theaters, if they are profitable I hope another operator will come in, I’ve heard some in rural areas are some 30 miles from another theater, I wouldn’t want to imagine the impact on the towns the theaters are in. I hope we can hear from a local who can tell us if these theaters were getting by or were really not profitable. I assume it may be a mix, I know Kerasotes did replace/close a few smaller theaters in the last few years – however I’d like to think if they kept them open (barring the sale to AMC) they must have considered them profitable enough to warrant it.

NYC is a different beast of a market, that one might be fine – Regal still has a single screen in NYC. But if it does close it’ll be subject to Justin Scott’s same shameful, spineless answer “we continually upgrade the blah blah blah” – right, so why are you closing and not upgrading these markets – oh because you wanted the nice, new Kerastoes Showplace multiplexes….

John, see the recent comments by posters on the AMC Loews 72nd St. page (/theaters/7766/). Apparently that theater is, in fact, in danger of being closed; I would tend to agree with you though that, if it does, AMC’s rationale for the shutdown would be stated similarly to that used for the former Kerasotes closures.